Chapter 411 A Name in the Spotlight

Chapter 411: Chapter 411 A Name in the Spotlight

Rose met Ryan’s calm, unreadable gaze.

A faint flush of embarrassment crept across her cheeks.

He had seen it coming.

He’d known the Robinson family would eventually make the same choice.

Julia’s voice continued through the phone.

"Rose, I know this isn’t easy for you. The people spreading these rumors are the ones who should be blamed. You’ve done nothing wrong, and I know that."

She sighed.

"But when you’re dealing with a family and a company this large, you can’t make decisions based purely on emotion. We have to think about the bigger picture."

Rose remained silent.

"Trevor refuses to back down," Julia continued. "He won’t listen to anyone. That’s why I’m coming to you instead."

Her voice softened.

"Could you please be the one to ask him to postpone the wedding?"

Rose’s fingers tightened around her phone.

"If you agree, I’ll compensate you however you want. I know this situation has put you through a lot, and I won’t pretend otherwise. The Robinson family has put you in a difficult position."

Rose understood.

Julia wasn’t being cruel.

She was being practical.

As the person overseeing the Robinson family’s business affairs, Julia knew exactly what this scandal could cost them.

Their stock could take a hit.

The company’s reputation could suffer.

Their brand could be damaged.

There was no way Rose could criticize her for considering those things.

But once again, when the Robinson family had to choose between her and their own interests, she had been the one pushed aside.

Even if it was only temporary.

"Okay," Rose said.

Her voice was calm.

Almost emotionless.

Julia hesitated.

"Rose... If you’re angry at anyone, be angry at me. Trevor really is sincere about you."

"I know."

Rose looked down at the floor.

"We’re not family yet. I’m not exactly going to come before the Robinson family’s interests."

"Rose—"

"I have to get back to work, Aunt Julia. We’ll talk another time."

She ended the call before Julia could say anything else.

For a moment, Rose simply stood there.

Her chest felt strangely hollow.

So, this was how fragile relationships really were.

Julia had always treated her well. She’d been direct, generous, and decisive. More than once, she’d even defended Rose when others hadn’t.

But none of that meant she would choose Rose when the cost became too high.

A voice beside her broke the silence.

"Don’t expect too much from anyone."

Ryan was still sitting exactly where he’d been.

He tilted his head slightly, studying her.

"Rose, you need to take control of your own life."

Rose lowered her eyes.

He was right.

Trevor might be determined to marry her, but one person couldn’t fight an entire family.

The Robinson family was enormous, with influence spread across several branches and interests extending throughout a massive business empire.

Once the family decided something was too risky, Trevor’s opinion alone wouldn’t be enough to stop them.

And sure enough, when they couldn’t convince Trevor, they’d gone directly to Rose.

Ryan’s eyes darkened.

Something inside him seemed to settle into place.

A decision he’d been struggling with suddenly had a reason.

Rose glanced at him.

"So, are you enjoying this?"

Her voice was flat.

Ryan looked at her.

"Do I look like I’m laughing?"

"How would I know?" Rose replied. "Maybe you’re laughing on the inside."

After all, he’d predicted exactly what would happen.

Watching his ex-wife get quietly abandoned by her future in-laws probably wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to him.

Maybe he was enjoying seeing her finally get what he thought she deserved.

Maybe he was secretly pleased to watch her stumble.

Ryan’s expression changed.

"So that’s what you think of me."

He stood.

"I need to talk to the university administration. If you don’t mind, wait here."

"Can’t I come with you?"

"You’ll find out soon enough."

He waved her off and headed toward the administrative offices.

Rose watched him disappear through the doors.

Her thoughts were a mess, and honestly, she didn’t have the energy to follow him.

She had just agreed to Julia’s request.

Now she had to keep her word.

She pulled out her phone.

After staring at the screen for several seconds, she finally opened Trevor’s messages.

Her fingers moved.

Rose: [We should postpone the wedding for now.]

A second message followed.

Rose: [I’m in the same position you are. I don’t want to drag you or the Robinson family into this. Once everything is resolved, we’ll sit down and talk about the wedding properly.]

She sent the messages.

Then she let out a long breath.

Even now, she hadn’t had the luxury of thinking about marriage as a way to secure Ariel’s future.

Ariel was already being dragged into the rumors.

People were already calling her an illegitimate child.

Rose couldn’t make that situation any worse.

Trevor replied almost immediately.

Trevor: [Where are you?]

Rose: [NYU.]

Trevor: [I’m coming. Wait for me.]

Rose frowned.

She started typing a refusal.

Before she could send it, Trevor stopped responding.

He was already on his way.

There was no point avoiding the conversation. Sooner or later, they would have to face this together.

As for Ryan...

Rose still had no idea what he was planning to accomplish with the university administration.

And yet, strangely, the anxiety that had been tightening her chest all morning had begun to ease.

She didn’t know why.

Maybe it was because Ryan had stepped in without asking anything from her.

Maybe it was because, no matter how complicated their relationship had become, she trusted him when it came to handling a crisis.

Rose rubbed the bridge of her nose.

It was frustrating.

Their marriage had ended badly.

Their relationship had reached a dead end.

But she couldn’t deny that Ryan gave her a sense of security in certain situations.

People weren’t simply good or bad.

A relationship could fail without every good thing about a person disappearing with it.

Rose glanced at the time.

It was almost two.

She was just getting to her feet when the doors opened.

Ryan walked out with the university president and several administrators.

The president spotted Rose.

Something unreadable flickered across his face before he spoke.

"Rose, get ready. We’re putting together a special winter recruiting event this afternoon."

Rose blinked.

"Recruiting event?"

"Yes. Mr. Knight will be recruiting on campus."

The president’s expression brightened.

"This is a rare opportunity for our students. A company like Kingswell doesn’t recruit here every day."

Rose looked toward Ryan.

"Wait. Didn’t we just have the fall recruiting fair?"

She frowned.

"And why is this being organized so suddenly? Winter recruiting isn’t exactly known for having a lot of openings."

Most of the major companies had already finished their primary hiring rounds.

At this point, winter recruiting usually meant filling remaining positions.

So why was the university treating this like a major event?

The president smiled.

"Because Mr. Knight has also agreed to donate one hundred million dollars to NYU’s educational foundation."

Rose stared at him.

"One hundred million?"

The president nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. The announcement will be made at the event."

Rose turned slowly toward Ryan.

"Did you come here just to talk about recruiting and make a donation?"

Ryan looked at her.

"Is there a problem with that?"

Rose narrowed her eyes.

She tried to communicate silently with him.

What are you doing?

Ryan gave her nothing.

The president was already issuing instructions.

"The event starts at 2:30. Notify the students immediately. Everyone needs to know about the recruiting opportunities and the scholarship fund."

Rose could already imagine what would happen.

Students would come running.

Give them a chance at a job with one of the country’s biggest companies and a chance at financial aid, and they’d show up even in the middle of a storm.

Sure enough, the moment the announcement went out, NYU exploded with excitement.

Students flooded toward the event.

A job opportunity like this was already enough to make people desperate to attend.

The scholarship fund made it even more tempting.

And just like that, the campus gossip surrounding Rose began to fade into the background.

People who had been obsessing over her alleged misconduct minutes earlier were suddenly discussing résumés, interviews, internships, and scholarships.

Alicia heard about the event, too.

She couldn’t understand it.

Her eyebrows drew together.

A distraction was one thing.

But how could a recruiting event possibly erase a scandal as serious as Rose’s?

Still, she went.

Rose stood near the edge of the growing crowd, watching thousands of students gather.

She had originally planned to leave.

But then Ryan was about to step onto the stage.

He stopped.

Turned.

And looked directly at her.

His dark eyes were deep and impossible to read.

"Rose."

She looked at him.

"Do you know what it means when people say you have to tear down the old before you can build something new?"

Rose’s stomach tightened.

"What are you talking about?"

Ryan lowered his gaze.

For several seconds, he simply looked at her.

Then he turned away.

He walked onto the stage.

The crowd erupted into applause.

Ryan stood at the center of the platform, completely composed despite the sea of faces watching him.

When the applause finally quieted, he spoke.

"I know this event was announced at the last minute, so thank you for coming."

His voice carried easily through the auditorium.

"Kingswell Group is here today to recruit new talent. At the same time, I’m personally donating one hundred million dollars to NYU."

The crowd erupted again.

Ryan waited for the noise to settle.

"Part of the donation will go to the university’s educational foundation. The rest will be used to provide direct financial assistance to students who qualify."

The excitement became almost deafening.

One hundred million dollars.

Scholarships.

Direct financial aid.

For the students, it was an unbelievable opportunity.

Rose stared at Ryan.

She hadn’t noticed Alicia approaching until she was standing beside her.

Alicia’s eyes remained fixed on the stage.

"Rose..."

She sounded genuinely confused.

"Why would President Knight go this far?"

Rose’s expression went cold.

She didn’t answer.

Because she was beginning to understand.

And she didn’t like what she was realizing.

Ryan waited until the crowd settled again.

"I’m sure many of you are wondering why we organized this event so suddenly."

His gaze moved across the audience.

Then, with deliberate precision, it landed on Rose.

Rose’s heart stopped.

Ryan’s voice remained calm.

"The reason is simple."

He paused.

"This fund is being established in my daughter’s name."

The entire auditorium fell silent.

Ryan looked directly at Rose.

"Her name is Ariel."